IMMIGRATION Minister Beverley Hughes heard how North-East councils are working to ensure no more asylum seekers are murdered on the region's streets yesterday.

The Home Office minister was on Tyneside yesterday for the annual meeting of the North-East Consortium for Asylum Support Services (Necass) in Gateshead Civic Centre.

The group is a partnership between 25 of the region's local authorities, which works with other organisations to disperse asylum seekers in the North-East. Formed in May 2000, it has provided housing for about 2,500 asylum seekers and encouraged successful asylum applicants to remain in the region.

The meeting came in the aftermath of the death of 30-year-old Iranian asylum seeker Peyman Bahmani, who died in Sunderland following a confrontation with white youths.

Nadeem Ahmad, regional manager of Necass, said: "There were one or two questions about Sunderland, but really the meeting was more about how we can work together to ensure that there isn't another situation like that.

"Our approach recognises that asylum seekers and refugees bring a wealth of experience, expertise and knowledge into the region and also the need to manage dispersal in a sensitive and balanced way."

Fresh evidence indicates that a large number of asylum seekers are happy in the region and would like to stay.

The Banks of the Wear Community Project's first research report into refugee housing in the region found that 43 per cent of those surveyed wanted to stay in the North-East when they moved to permanent accommodation. A further 37 per cent said they would possibly stay on.